Kris Vire | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/kris-vire
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Chicago is no longer American theatre's second city | Kris Virehttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2009/sep/28/chicago-american-theatre-second-city
Move over, New York: the Windy City has a vibrant homegrown theatre scene, including companies such as Steppenwolf, and is behind the brightest work on Broadway<p>With a head count that hovers around 200 producing theatres in the city and its suburbs, Chicago has a thriving, collaborative theatre scene. But ever since the New Yorker's AJ Liebling dubbed us the &quot;second city&quot; in 1952, we've been suffering from a collective inferiority complex. Chicago's theatre community has a habit of worrying about Broadway's dominance of the national press, or openly grousing about New York producers' recent habit of plopping oxygen-sucking, multi-year runs of hits such as Wicked and Jersey Boys into our downtown theatres.</p><p>It might have something to do with that new president of ours, but the world's attention is newly focused – thus dousing our insecurities – on Chicago's wealth of cultural goodies. <a href="http://www.granta.com/Magazine/108">Granta's new Chicago issue</a> puts us in the spotlight with works by local writers including Aleksandar Hemon, Sandra Cisneros and <a href="http://www.granta.com/Online-Only/A-Bar-on-North-Avenue">Roger Ebert</a>; the <a href="http://www.artic.edu/aic/">Art Institute</a> finally opened its gorgeous new Renzo Piano-designed modern wing; and the New York Times's Charles Isherwood recently labelled New York's theatre &quot;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/theater/13ishe.html">the east side of Chicago</a>&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2009/sep/28/chicago-american-theatre-second-city">Continue reading...</a>TheatreStageBroadwayCultureChicagoMon, 28 Sep 2009 11:26:13 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2009/sep/28/chicago-american-theatre-second-cityTristram KentonBorn in Chicago ... Steppenwolf's August: Osage County was a hit at the National in 2008. Photograph: Tristram KentonTristram KentonBorn in Chicago ... Steppenwolf's August: Osage County was a hit at the National in 2008. Photograph: Tristram KentonKris Vire2009-09-28T11:26:13Z